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How Jazz wrested momentum from the Rockets with Game 2 win

The Utah Jazz took Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at the Houston Rockets' Toyota Center on Wednesday night, winning 116-108 in the kind of way that has become their norm in these past few months.
Credit: Troy Taormina
Utah Jazz forward Royce O'Neale (23) attempts to score a basket as Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) defends during the second quarter in game two of the second round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz took Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at the Houston Rockets’ Toyota Center on Wednesday night, winning 116-108 in the kind of way that has become their norm in these past few months.

Sort of.

When Utah pulled off the league’s biggest turnaround of the regular season, going 29-6 from Jan. 25, three-point shooting wasn’t a major part of their program; they were 17th in the NBA during that span in made three-pointers, averaging 10.7. Yet the Jazz beat the Rockets at their own game while evening the series 1-1, hitting 15 of 32 from beyond the arc while the league’s most prolific shooting squad was just 10 of 37 (the Rockets averaged 15 made threes during the regular season). The Rockets’ James Harden struggled mightily on this front, missing eight of 10 threes while finishing with 32 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

That was hardly the only way the Jazz asserted themselves against the Western Conference’s top seed, though. Here are a few others.

1. G’DAY MATE

Joe Ingles, resident small forward and proud Australian, had a good day indeed.

The 30-year-old entered these playoffs as one of the most underrated players on the planet, but that isn’t the case anymore with how he has played of late. This was Ingles’ finest moment yet, as he scored a career-high 27 points on 10 of 13 shooting overall while hitting a career-high seven of nine three-pointers.

The only ones surprised by his shooting prowess are the ones who simply haven’t been paying attention. Ingles, who spent the first eight years of his professional career playing internationally, was fourth in the league in three-point percentage during the regular season (44%, tied with Golden State’s Klay Thompson). He buried one from the left corner with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter that was as big as any, pushing Utah’s lead to 108-96 after Donovan Mitchell found him on a perfect pass after driving the lane.

The difference this time, of course, was that Ingles had more three-point shooting company than normal. Reserve forward Jae Crowder hit three of six threes and had 15 points, while Dante Exum and Mitchell had two apiece as well.

Photos: Rockets fall to Jazz 116-108 in Game 2; series tied at 1

2. A DIFFERENT DONOVAN

This was a different script for the rookie sensation, as he took a pass-first approach in the first quarter (five of his 11 assists) when it was clear that Houston was determined to shut down his offense. The Jazz strategy worked as Utah jumped out to 36-28 lead when Ingles (11 first-quarter points) found himself with open looks.

Yet while Mitchell was cold for most of the night, finishing with 17 points on six of 21 shooting with a team-high plus-13 rating, the reigning Slam Dunk champion finished with that flair which is so remarkable for a rookie. His late emergence was huge, as the Jazz had given up the 19-point lead they had in the second quarter.

With 6:14 left, Mitchell drove the lane on Trevor Ariza and missed a floater before bouncing back up for a thunderous putback dunk that put the Jazz up six during a 12-2 run. He played sound defense on Harden down the stretch, save for an early fourth-quarter moment where he earned his third and fourth fouls in less than a minute.

“This young man is fearless,” TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller said on the telecast. “And he has a short-term memory…You don’t see third and fourth-year players develop that.”

What’s more, he outplayed the Rockets’ “Point God,” Chris Paul, when it came to playmaking. Paul, who missed 11 of 19 shots and had 23 points, had just three assists.

Photos: Rockets fans gather at Toyota Center for Game 2

3. NO RUBIO, NO PROBLEM

The loss of Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio to a hamstring injury just before this series was seen by many as a death knell, but coach Quin Snyder has managed to find other contributors. Alec Burks, the 26-year-old guard who played a combined five minutes in the first five games of the playoffs, had 17 points (seven of 11 shooting) and six assists in 22 minutes with a plus-seven rating. Exum, a 22-year-old point guard whose early career has been ravaged by injuries, played quality defense and added nine points, four rebounds and two assists while posting a plus-10 rating in 17 minutes.

His soaring dunk with 55 seconds left put Utah up nine and sparked quite the reaction from the Jazz bench.

Rubio was initially expected to miss approximately 10 days, meaning he’d likely remain out for Game 3 in Salt Lake City on Friday.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter.

Photos: Houston Rockets Power Dancers & Launch Crew

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